Letter tray



T. HEARN Er AL LETTER TRAY Filed Dec. 20, 1937 IN VENTORJ- 4 7710 M4 .9 HEAR/v BY GROSVENOR 1S. M-KEE ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 19, 1939 UNlTED STATE LETTER TRAY Thomas Hearn, Ludlow, Ky., and Grosvenor S.

McKee, Cincinnati,

Ohio, assignors to The Globe-Wernicke Company, Norwood, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 20, 1937, Serial No. 180,782

1 Claim.

This invention relates to devices which are known as letter trays. An objection to most letter trays in current use is that access to papers contained therein is diflicult, so that the letter trays may, rather than being helpful actually become bothersome. Various attempts have been made in the past to provide letter trays which will give more ready access to papers contained therein.

It is an object of our invention to provide a letter tray in which these advantages are accomplished in a simple and efficient manner.

It is an object of our invention to provide a letter tray in which papers therein will be readily accessible so that the papers as a whole may be removed from the tray, or so that it will be simpler to lift out the papers in order to pick out a particular paper which is desired.

These and other objects of our invention which will be described hereinafter, or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, we accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which we shall now describe two embodiments.

25 Reference is made to the drawing forming a part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a letter tray according to our invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Briefly in the practice of our invention, we provide a letter tray having a bottom in one piece and four sides. The bottom I is rectangular 35 in shape, and is provided with a depressed area H, in the paper supporting region thereof. The purpose of this depressed area is to render it easier to lift a paper off the bottom. It is a well known fact that a paper which is entirely 4 supported upon a plain surface is difficult to lift,

perhaps because of electrostatic adhesion, or because of a partial vacuum which may exist between the paper and the tray. We have found that an X-shaped depressed area as shown in 45 Fig. 1, is very advantageous, although it will be clear that areas of other shape will also perform the necessary function.

Along at least one margin of the bottom as indicated generally at l2, we provide a depressed area for the purpose of giving finger access to papers in the tray. The length and depth of this area is not critical so long as it provides room for getting the fingers under papers lying on the bottom [0. Preferably I provide two such areas in opposed margins of the tray, and it would of course, be possible to provide three or four, so that there could be a depressed portion along each margin of the bottom H].

In connection with the marginally depressed portions If, it is necessary that there be no interfering side wall adjacent said portions, and if there is aside wall at that side of the tray which is provided with a depressed portion l2, such side walls should be cut away as indicated generally at l3. If only one depressed portion 12 is provided, the tray might be constructed with only three side walls, although it might be provided with four so long as the fourth side was cut away as indicated at l3.

The particular construction of the walls and legs of the tray are not a part of our invention, and they will not therefore be described in detail. 20 It will, of course, be understood that the bottom and side walls could be integral with the side walls simply bent upwardly and joined in some manner along the corners. Likewise the side walls might be made separate and welded or otherwise fastened along their seams. Furthermore, the material of which our tray is made is not critical, so that for example, it might be made from some resinous condensation product and molded, or it may as we prefer, be made of sheet metal and finished in any desired manner.

It is to be understood that modifications in our invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and we therefore do not intend to limit ourselves except as pointed out in the claim which follows.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A letter tray having a bottom and four sides, said bottom being provided with an X-shaped depressed area in the paper-supporting region, said area being small relative to the area of the bottom, but said area extending substantially to the edges of the bottom, and depressed portions along two opposite margins thereof, the side walls adjacent said depressed marginal bottom portions being cut away to provide finger access to papers in said tray.

THOMAS HEAR/N. GROSVENOR S. McKEE. 

